Heartbroken mom shares how her baby suffocated on soft toys in her sleep

Why you should keep in mind these important toy safety tips for infants and toddlers...

In heartbreaking news, a mom tragically lost her little girl due to suffocation by a teddy bear. She urges parents to avoid putting large toys or pillows in their baby’s bed. In her emotional post on Facebook, she also shares some toy safety tips for infants and toddlers.

Here’s what she has to say.

Mom Shares Toy Safety Tips for Infants and Toddlers After Losing Her Baby

Bereaved mom, Dexy Leigh Walsh shares in the post that on the sixth of March, she discovered her 18-month-old daughter Connie had died because of suffocation on a soft toy. Dexy had placed that soft toy in Connie’s bed to prevent her from falling off.

Dexy discovered Connie in a lifeless condition and attempted CPR to revive her daughter. But unfortunately Connie had already passed away.

The mom urges parents to keep in mind toy safety tips for infants and toddlers when it comes to sleep safety.

A Bereaved Mom’s Advice to Other Parents

Dexy says: “I had packed down the side of her bed with teddies and placed a big one on top of the smaller teddies to stop Connie from falling down the side of her bed. She did exactly that. But as it was all teddy bears she went under the massive teddy and fell asleep with the angels. All I think about now is what if I just left it empty she would still be here maybe with just a small bump on her head. It’s all ‘what ifs’ now.”

She further says: “Let them fall. Don’t try to stuff small places up with soft things. Just leave it empty. They don’t need anything on their bed but a cover. Please think about what’s on your kids bed and around it. You really never know what can happen.”

The heartbroken family has created a Facebook page called Connie Rose Awareness and it is dedicated to create awareness about toy safety tips for infants and toddlers when sleeping.

Toy Safety Tips for Infants and Toddlers: Experts’ Advice

The Australian organization Red Nose is dedicated to the cause of SIDS and supports bereaved families. Here’s what they advise about keeping your baby’s sleep environment safe.

Using Soft Toys in Your Baby’s Sleep Environment

For babies below the age of seven months, soft toys should be kept out of the sleeping environment. These may interfere with the baby’s breathing as they can cover the nose and mouth.

It says: “The risk posed by suffocation by the presence of soft objects in the baby’s sleeping environment outweighs any benefit to the baby from a soft toy. It is therefore advised not to place soft toys and other soft objects in the cot for babies under seven months of age.”

But older babies look to soft toys or any such objects to find comfort and connection during the separation anxiety phase. Despite this, your baby’s cot should not be stuffed with things like large soft toys, pillows, bumpers and other such objects.

The organization also advises that parents should not move the little ones from cot to bed before they are ready. They say: “For safety reasons, when a young child is observed attempting to climb out of a cot and looking like they might succeed, it is time to move them out of the cot.” They further mention that most kids achieve this between the age of two to three-and-a-half years. But it can also happen earlier, around the age of 18 months.

Useful Toy Safety Tips for Infants and Toddlers

If you are using adult height beds for your little ones, here’s what you should keep in mind.

Your little ones can be trapped in bed rails if not properly fitted. So, be mindful of this when attaching portable bed rails to adult height beds.

Ensure that there’s no gap between the mattress and bed rails to avoid your little one’s head slip through the gap and get trapped.

Avoid placing pillows, soft bedding and toys against the bed rail. Asphyxia due to environment cluttered with toys has happened in the past.

So Mom, does your kid take their favourite teddy bear to bed with them? Maybe it’s time you shouldn’t allow that. Follow these important toy safety tips for infants and toddlers and give them a safe sleep.